


To Understand Your Enemy

by FreeArchive



Category: RWBY
Genre: Character Death, F/F, Pyrrha Nikos Lives, Pyrrha Nikos is a Grimm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:40:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26223532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreeArchive/pseuds/FreeArchive
Summary: When Cinder shoots her, Pyrrha thinks she dies. She feels light, free, warm... until she wakes up in a dark castle with a great evil next to her. Salem wants her for something. It's twisted and heartbreaking but she can't fight her.And in the darkness and the cold, Pyrrha finds the only one who understands her is Cinder.{Pompeii}{Cinder x Pyrrha}[Drive Cleaning '20]
Relationships: Cinder Fall/Pyrrha Nikos
Comments: 23
Kudos: 37





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this has been sitting around in my docs for AWHILE. It's a real interesting AU that was probably planned to have a sequel and such. Perhaps if I'm up to it but for now, I hope you enjoy! 💜

The world went dark when the arrow entered her chest. At first, there was a bright flash of light, clouding her vision and hiding Cinder from view before the darkness took her. 

It was so light, so freeing. The pain in her body lifted and Pyrrha thought she died. 

That was until she opened her eyes to meet glowing red pupils. She almost screamed in terror but her body froze. Her heart raced a million miles in her chest. She couldn't breathe. 

“See, Cinder?” the woman with the red eyes purred, nails scraping lightly down Pyrrha’s cheek. “You underestimated her will to survive.” Her hand roughly grabbed her chin and forced her to look at her. “Isn’t that right, Pyrrha?” 

It was only when she released her chin that Pyrrha noticed they weren’t alone in the room. 

Cinder stood a couple of feet away from her, arms folded across her chest. 

She looked a lot worse than she had that night they’d fought in Beacon. Her hair was shorn short, cropped close to her face, shielding her left eye from view. She refused to acknowledge the woman with the red eyes. 

Fingertips traced down Pyrrha’s arm, sending electricity up her nerves. Pyrrha shivered and tried to pull away. But her wrists were held by… by some kind of Grimm. It was almost like an octopus with long sharper spikes at the end of its tentacles. 

Her stomach shifted, threatening to hurl its contents across the room. What sort of twisted nightmare was this? She raised her eyes to meet the woman’s gaze. 

“You looked scared, child,” the woman whispered, tilting her head. “But you do not have to worry. After a while, you will understand. And by then, you won’t care at all.” 

“What do you mean?” Pyrrha choked out. Her throat was as dry as a desert, the words rough and croaked. She flinched. 

The woman smiled and it wasn’t the nice kind of smile. It was one that made every sane bone in her body want to flee. But she was paralysed with fear. And sat. Staring. 

“I said not to worry, dear Pyrrha. Everything will be okay,” she crooned and pushed her to lie down.

Pyrrha let herself lie back on the bed, trying to keep her racing pulse under control. She just needed to figure out what was going on. And how to escape. 

Suddenly she felt a sharp prick in her wrist and something wet. She shot back up to a sitting position. 

“Let me go!” she cried, voice still dry and croaky. 

The Grimm didn’t let go. It pulled tighter, its sharp spikes embedded deep in her skin. She wrestled with all her might but it was too strong. 

The woman with the red eyes watched her struggle with a strange fascination. She did nothing to stop the Grimm. 

And slowly Pyrrha felt her eyelids begin to droop. 

“The first dose had been given,” the woman whispered. “Your ascension begins, Pyrrha. You might not understand now but you will.”

The Grimm released her hands and Pyrrha fell back to the bed.

It drowned her, and she surrendered herself to the darkness. Black closed in on her, taking her without giving her a chance to protest. Pyrrha tried to speak, tried to ask another futile question. But her body would not respond. 

And so, the last thing she saw was Cinder looking directly at her, with what she thought to be a mixture of pity… and repulsion.

* * *

Pyrrha awoke in a cold sweat. Her skin slick to touch and her hands tightly clenched. Slowly, she unfurled her fingers to see red marks from where she’d dug her nails in. 

But she was alone. 

She finally had a chance to see where she was. And it wasn’t somewhere she recognised. 

She lay on a high bed, her body covered in light, sweat soaked sheets. The room was large and full of other beds as well. But they were all empty. 

Along the wall to her left were high arching windows with thick glass and nothing outside. She couldn't see through them. 

Pyrrha reached to run a hand through her hair but froze when she spotted the tiny speckles dotting her wrist. Pressing a finger to them, she found they were hard like bone or rocks. The veins beneath her skin were darker in colour, almost appearing black. 

_What?_

“You finally woke up,” a voice drawled behind her. “I was worried the dose wouldn’t hold.” 

Pyrrha twisted to the side, defensively. Although she was in not state to fight. 

Cinder strode through the door, hands behind her back as she looked at Pyrrha. Emerald was at her side, eyeing her suspiciously. Cinder turned to whisper something in Emerald’s ear. 

“You must feel disorientated,” Emerald said. “Mistress... Mistress didn’t give much time for you to take in your surroundings.” 

“Where am I?” Pyrrha asked, voice hoarse. “Why am I here?” She swallowed nervously. “You didn’t kill me.” 

Cinder’s lips quirked slightly but there was a nervous tinge in her movements. Almost like fear. Pyrrha clearly remembered facing her down atop the tower but something had changed. She couldn't tell what. 

Cinder kept walking until she stood next to Pyrrha’s bedside. 

“Be.. believe.. me… I...i.. try… tried,” Cinder rasped, voice broken and hissed as if she had to force it out. 

Emerald’s eyes narrowed. “Cinder, there’s no need—I can talk—” 

She fell silent when Cinder raised her hand. Cinder ignored Emerald to gaze down at her. 

The fringe was new. Her hair was shorter. But now close, she saw why. Peering past the strands, a shiver rolled down her spine. 

The left side of Cinder’s face was a mess of scar tissue and worn skin. It had obviously healed since but Pyrrha knew that it would forever marr her face. Where once had been a golden eye, she only saw darkness. 

Pyrrha swallowed uncomfortably. 

“Do.. do… do you… do you see what... she did?” Cinder said. “Your… li.. lit… little friend. _Ruby_.” The one word as clear as day; Cinder spat Ruby’s name like it was a curse. 

“She… she’d never,” Pyrrha tried. “Ruby wouldn’t do something like that, she’s too sweet.” 

“You’re sure?!” Emerald’s voice from the other side jolted her. “ _Have you seen her face_?!” 

Pyrrha flinched, drawing the blanket closer to her. “What am I doing here?” 

Cinder’s single eye flickered with what might have been pity. But it was quickly hidden behind a mask of rage. She paced around her bed until she stood right next to her. 

Her gaze was magnetic, forcing Pyrrha to stare up at her. 

Rough fingertips took her wrist. 

Cinder tapped a nail on the tiny scars. “Salem.” 

Cinder’s expression flickered. Pyrrha didn’t understand what she was looking at. Cinder tried to kill her. Cinder tried to kill her friends. And she might have succeeded, for all Pyrrha knew. 

So why did Pyrrha see something other than a monster? 

Cinder released her arm. “Sorry.” And she started to walk away. 

It took Pyrrha a couple of seconds to register what happened. “Wait! Wait, Cinder, I don’t understand.” Pyrrha made to throw her legs over the edge, to run after her, but suddenly the room started to spin. 

She hit the ground awkwardly. Why was she so weak? What was it doing to her? 

Blinking past the watery tears, Pyrrha saw Cinder standing in the doorframe, Emerald at her side. She watched silently, expression unreadable. 

“Cinder…” she choked out. “What’s wrong with me?” 

Amber eyes glowed in the dark, like the charred remains of a fire. Cinder blinked once before she shook her head. 

And mouthed something at her. 

Pyrrha couldn’t hear her speak but she clearly saw the words she mouthed. 

“ _I’m sorry_.” 

Suddenly, pain flared in her wrist. The same sharp prick she’d felt earlier. Pyrrha started to sob again, struggling with all her might but to no avail. The Grimm held her wrist tightly in its grasp 

“What are you doing to me?” she begged in Cinder’s direction. “Why?” 

Cinder’s expression changed for only a second. A tiny flash of sorrow crossed her face before it was vanquished by indifference. She turned on her heel and vanished through the doorway, Emerald close behind her. 

The Grimm’s tentacles held her firmly. She could not fight. So Pyrrha cried, begging to something that would not listen. 

Her vision went dark once again.

* * *

Soon it became a twisted routine. Pyrrha would wake in a cold sweat, almost feverish and dizzy. Sometimes Cinder would be there. Most times, she would not. 

The Grimm continued to break her skin, injecting her with something beyond her knowledge. It grew on her arm. It soon appeared in tiny specks of bone and her skin was darkening to a shadowy black. It hurt. 

Then she began to numb out the pain. 

But then there were times when Salem was there. Salem would be hovering beside her, cruel eyes gleaming when she awoke. Her fingers were sharp on her skin and her words crooned. 

Salem scared her more than she wanted to admit. 

No one listened to her cries. No one listened to her begging. 

But Cinder would stay and watch, expression conflicted but did nothing. And Pyrrha begged her over and over again. Nothing. She gave her nothing. 

But then there was one day where she was left alone. 

There was no one else in the room and the Grimm wasn’t floating around. It was eerily silent, the only noise her laboured breathing. Slowly, she peered around and rose off the bed. 

_Where am I?_ she thought to herself. 

The moment her feet touched the floor, a sharp spike of pain rose through her leg. Her muscles tensed and cramped. She bit back a gasp of pain. How long had it been since she’d moved? She didn’t know. Time felt different here. 

Pyrrha sighed and pressed forward. She stumbled a few steps before catching herself on a table. She made it to the door. 

The corridor outside was dark, lit down the way by widely spaced torches. She couldn’t see anything down either way. But with that, it meant there was also no one around her. She could roam. 

Left or right, that was the question. 

Suddenly, a harsh scream floated up from her left. It was feral and gutted, like a wounded beast fighting for its last breath. A shiver rolled down her spine. 

For some reason, she chose to go left. She shouldn’t have. Going towards the pained scream probably wasn’t the best plan, especially after what she was subjected to on a daily basis. God only knew what torture Salem carried out in her twisted home. 

Pyrrha walked down the corridor, feeling gradually returning to her muscles. The more she moved, the better she felt. Who knew? She walked down, making sure to keep to the shadows. 

The screams got louder as she continued but she was drawn to them like a moth to flame. Something stirred within her and it felt… good. She couldn’t describe it but she felt better than she had in ages. 

“Cinder..." Over the pained noise, Pyrrha heard Emerald’s voice. She sounded worried. 

Pyrrha peered in the doorway, trying to be as subtle as she could be. She hid a small gasp. 

Cinder lay splayed out on a bed, similar to Pyrrha’s. She was the one screaming, a dark energy coming off her. Her arm flailed from side to side. Dark liquid rolled down her skin. Where her eye had once been was glowing a dark red. 

Emerald crouched by her bed, begging softly. “Cinder, please. Cinder...” 

Cinder screamed again. 

A sensation spread up Pyrrha’s arm. It was red hot but so good. She inhaled sharply, trying to steady the pleasurable sensations rushing through her now. 

“Pyrrha!” Emerald gasped. “What are you doing here?” 

Pyrrha took a step into the room and to her amazement, Emerald started backing away. She looked scared of her. And Pyrrha felt herself smirking. Something had changed in her and she wasn’t able to control it. Maybe she didn't want to control it. 

“Hello, Emerald,” she smiled. “I’d like a word with Cinder.” 

Emerald’s hand went down to her waist, fingers closing around her blade. Pyrrha arched an eyebrow. Did she intend to cut her down? A foolish desire. 

“Cinder’s a little… occupied,” Emerald said coldly. “Now you should return to your room before Lady Salem finds out.” 

Pyrrha took another step in. 

Cinder’s mortal eye fluttered open and latched onto her. She gave her a pained smile, sweat rolling down her face. 

“Hey, Nikos,” she panted, voice still raspy but noticeably more healed. “We’re pretty fucked up, huh?” Another spasm of pain rippled through her and she cried out again. 

Cinder’s pain… was intoxicating. The human inside her curled with disgust, told her to run while she still could, but the beast inside her roared in pleasure. Pyrrha took a deep breath to steady herself. 

It was stronger than any drug one could take. She now understood why Grimm flocked to negative emotions if this was what it felt like. She wanted to consume her. 

“Pyrrha, I’m going to ask you to leave,” Emerald spoke up again. 

Pyrrha ignored her. “What’s wrong with her?” 

Emerald went quiet. Pyrrha glanced over at her but she refused to look at her. 

“Cinder…” Pyrrha said in a voice that wasn’t all hers. “Let me help you.” 

Cinder couldn’t reply because she was too busy screaming. Her single eye squeezed shut in pain. 

“Pyrrha, listen… you shouldn’t touch her,” Emerald warned. “There’s something dark in her. It only wants to hurt.” 

The sane part in Pyrrha gasped in horror but that new part, the twisted and cruel part, delighted in the suffering. It was like sharing a body with your evil twin. She wanted to flee but she also wanted to devour. 

And it was tearing her apart to choose. 

“Cinder,” she managed out, curling her darkened arm into a fist. “I can help.” 

The glow from her missing eye sharpened and Cinder’s normal eye opened. It was stained red with tears. 

“Pyrrha, wait-!” Emerald began. 

But Pyrrha had already grabbed her. 

Suddenly her world washed red like a sea of blood. It blazed like a fire, tearing into her without hesitation. But it didn’t hurt. Instead, the feeling was heavenly—if such a word could describe her situation. Pyrrha exhaled. 

Nails dug into her arm, dragging her closer. The monster inside her curled and roared in delight. That terrible, _terrible_ part was making her do this. And she loved it. It was a raging inferno, coursing through her veins. 

Pyrrha finally opened her eyes to see Cinder gazing back at her. She was no longer screaming. Instead, her lips were curved in a smirk. 

Cinder sat up, grabbing her by the front of her shirt. Suddenly her body was flush against hers, not an inch to spare. Pyrrha groaned. Cinder’s pain was like a drug; she craved more and more of it. 

Cinder herself was shaking. But her expression was wicked. Nails traced their way up her arm, sending an icy shiver through her chest. 

Pyrrha wretched herself away, falling to her knees with a gasp. Almost instantly the sensation faded, leaving behind an emptiness that craved the pleasure of her pain. Her stomach curled in horror. 

“What’s happening to me?” she gasped. She looked up at them, swiftly crawling backwards. “What has she done?” 

Cinder rose to her feet, looking sated. She could feel no pain radiating off her; only power. 

“That was… certainly something, Nikos,” she purred, reaching for her. 

Pyrrha almost screamed when her arm stretched beyond a normal length. It was jet black and ended in razor talons. It looked like Pyrrha’s arm. 

The talons caressed her face with a sad touch to them. Cinder’s expression flickered as she paced forward. 

“She made monsters out of us both.” 

Pyrrha could hardly breathe. 

“Emerald, assist me please,” Cinder said. 

Pyrrha let them lift her and half-carry half-drag her back to her room. The Grimm was there, waiting ominously by her bed. 

She knew the drill by now. 

Cinder set her down and touched her forehead. "Sleep."

And Pyrrha could not fight the drug. So she turned to the Grimm and glared, wishing death and hurt upon it. But it was a beast and did not understand her. So it pricked her again. And she closed her eyes. 

* * *

The next time she woke up, Cinder sat by her bedside. Pyrrha’s shoulder ached but it wasn’t sore. It seemed the darkness was spreading up her limb and down her torso. It felt… unnatural. 

“Hello, Pyrrha,” Cinder said, voice still raspy but just as alluring. “You’re looking well.” 

She hated to admit it was the best she’d felt in a while. Pyrrha sat up, fixing her with a gaze. 

“What is happening to me? _Why_ is this happening to me? _Tell me_. I need to know.” 

She was desperate at this point. With each dose, she became less and less human. She could feel it—the beast inside her, coiling and growling; ready to tear its way to life. It terrified her. 

Cinder’s smirk faded. She looked away. “That’s not something I can answer.” 

“But it is.” Pyrrha _knew_ she knew the reason. “Cinder, you have to tell me.” 

“I don’t have to tell you _anything,_ ” Cinder retorted. 

Pyrrha’s hand closed around her wrist and Cinder looked down at her. Fear flickered for only a second in that startled amber eye but it was replaced with a hard shield. But for the first time, Pyrrha clearly saw the shield and understood. 

Cinder was just as out of her depth as she was. No matter what monster she was, she was nothing compared to the might of Salem. 

Remembering the way Cinder’s arm burned and dripped, she wondered if Cinder had chosen the change—or if she’d been forced to take it. 

“What is her goal?” she whispered. 

Cinder stared down at the hand gripping her wrist, taking in the sharp claws, the obsidian skin, the risen bone dotting up and down. And she sighed. 

“She wants to take Remnant for her own. And she’ll do whatever she needs to do it.” 

Even go as far as this it seemed. 

“And you… what is your goal?” 

Cinder smiled wistfully, running her fingers along Pyrrha’s blackened arm. She could feel her but the sensation was numbed, 

“Me? I’m doing what everyone is trying to do,” she murmured before her fingers skimmed over human flesh. That Pyrrha clearly felt. Her touch was electric, magnetic even. She hadn’t realised how long it had been since she’d felt an actual human. 

“I’m just trying to survive.” 

And in that moment, Pyrrha felt it and she knew Cinder felt it too. They were connected, bond to one another. They were going to make it out alive and it was going to be together. Because who else could you trust except someone who knew exactly what you were going through? 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and the descent into darkness continues...

Pyrrha saw Cinder again and again. Salem's visits became rarer. Cinder said there was something important happening that needed her attention. All the better for them. 

While Emerald didn't like it, Pyrrha was able to ease Cinder's pain. Every few nights, Cinder would be wracked by vicious fevers, darkness rolling off her in delicious waves. And each time Pyrrha would go to her. 

She could drain her pain away and drink it for herself. It made her stronger. And made the ache go away. 

Cinder dug her nails into her arm the fourth time, drawing blood from her ashen fingertips. But it was electric. Pyrrha wanted more. 

"Why is she doing this to me?" Pyrrha asked, panting. "What does she want?" 

Cinder looked up, eyes glowing. "Does it matter?" 

Her voice was wracked with pain so Pyrrha leaned closer. Skin touched skin and she took it all from her. The monster was growing and it needed to be fed. Cinder tasted better than anything. 

"Of course it matters," Pyrrha murmured. "It shows her motivation." 

Cinder laughed but it was quickly snatched by another wave of pain. She didn't scream, didn't have time to before Pyrrha drank it in. 

"She needs no motivation or reason to do what she does." 

Pyrrha doubted that. No one ever did things without reason. Maybe there was no apparent reason but underneath, there was always something. And she needed to figure out what it was. 

Pyrrha traced her flesh with her finger, drawing a soft inhale. 

They weren't friends as such. But they had a connection. 

And understanding. 

Cinder groaned, free hand gripping the edge of the table. Pyrrha took it, surprised by how soft it was. 

"What are you doing?" Cinder asked coldly. 

"Holding your hand." 

Cinder winced but kept her expression. "What do you think we're doing here?" 

"What?" 

Cinder sat up, fingers closing around her wrist with such a strength, Pyrrha flinched. And even so, she couldn’t pull away. 

"You enjoy my pain," Cinder murmured, caressing her cheek. "You find pleasure in it… does it ignite your blood? If given the chance, would you hurt me? To make it… real?" 

What was she doing? Pyrrha stared into her eye, not breaking eye contact. 

Something feral inside her snarled. The beast, that creature that was growing with each passing day and stab of the needle. She could hurt Cinder. She could tear her limb from limb and make it _hurt._

But she wouldn't. 

Pyrrha shook her head. "I couldn't." 

"Except you could." Cinder's gaze was dark. "You want to." 

Pyrrha hated that she knew it was true. Her beast snarled and threw itself against her walls. Tear. Hurt. _Kill._

Pyrrha jerked away, stumbling to the floor. 

Her heart raced and she clutched it, begging it to stop and go away. For she didn't need the fear, didn't need to tremble. She couldn't show that weakness again. 

Cinder followed, standing over her. "I don't know what you know, Pyrrha, but the past is gone. You are different now. You are like me." 

Changing. Into what she didn't know. 

Except that she did. 

She pretended that she didn't recognise the pattern on her arm, the tiny flecks of bone that riddled the hide of humans' worst enemy. She pretended she didn't understand why she liked Cinder's sadness and pain. Why she craved it. Why she was drawn to it. 

"But I shouldn't be." 

"There is no should or shouldn't in this world. There's only what we can and can't do." 

And what other people did. 

"And what can you do?" 

Cinder's eye glowed, a searing heat. She leaned closer and a wisp of smoke curled from her eye. 

"Survive." 

"Is that all?" 

"Is that all?" Cinder repeated. "In this world that Salem is creating, all we can do is try to survive." 

Pyrrha stared at her. 

Cinder truly believed that. She thought that against Salem, they didn't stand a chance. Pyrrha had never met anyone quite like her. She wielded power like no other and yet even she felt fear against Salem. 

What kind of monster was Salem then? 

"You may not understand yet—but you will." 

Salem had said the same. She'd understand. When she finished transforming into whatever beast Salem wanted. 

"What am I now?" 

Cinder shrugged. "Who knows?" A thought. "Hers." 

Pyrrha got to her feet, clearing her throat. Scratchy and dry. Through all the time she'd been here, she'd never once eaten or had a drink. And yet she never needed it. She fed off other things now. 

“Your injection is here,” Cinder said, gesturing to the doorway. 

The same Grimm appeared, long tentacles waving. 

At this point, Pyrrha didn’t try to fight it. She just sat back on the bed and waited. 

Cinder lingered in the doorway. She never stayed for long. Pyrrha didn’t know if she wanted her to. But alone in this dark world, she was her only constant. 

Pyrrha offered her wrist to the Grimm, wondering how far she’d let this go. She wouldn’t be Salem’s. She refused. But how would it end? 

The Grimm stabbed her with its tentacles and Pyrrha blacked out.

* * *

When Pyrrha opened her eyes, Cinder wasn’t around. However, Salem was. 

“Hello, Pyrrha,” Salem smiled. “How are you?” 

Pyrrha sat up. She fought the panic rising within her and focused on her breathing. Nothing more. She didn't need to overthink this. 

“You’re doing very well,” Salem said softly. “We’re almost finished. It won’t be long.” 

“Until what?” 

Salem smiled again, eyes dark and unblinking. Pyrrha hated the way she looked at her, like she was nothing but a project on its way to completion. Actually… that was exactly what she was. An experiment that worked. And she delighted in it. 

Salem lifted her arm and her cold fingers slowly traced their way along her skin. Each touch sent a shiver down her spine and a strange tightening in her chest. Like a magnet, she pulled her towards her. Unable to resist. 

“Close…” 

Pyrrha wrenched her arm free of her grasp. “What do you want with me? Why?” 

Of everyone, why her? Why had she chosen her? 

Salem sighed but didn’t try to touch her again. Instead she rose in one swift movement and turned away. 

“You’ll learn soon enough. And it won’t matter.” A twisted grin, of pure satisfaction at the suffering of others. “You won’t have a choice either way.” 

In the beginning, Pyrrha had been far too weak to try to stand against her. Her body, taken over by the transformation crumpled at exertion. 

But now—how long into it?—everything had changed. 

Pyrrha found herself on her feet, barefoot against the ice cold floors—and then she ran. 

Her muscles burned fresh with pain but oh _fuck_ , it burned with pleasure. 

Salem hadn’t expected her. 

Pyrrha lunged with the roar of a monster and her clawed hand slashed for her back. To hurt. To main. _To kill_. 

Salem spun and caught her clean around the throat. 

In one movement, she pinned her against the wall. Salem stared at her, unblinking. “I see you’ve recovered well.” 

Pyrrha tried to kick her. 

“Perhaps too well…” Salem frowned, glancing at her arm. “Have you been feeding?” 

“On what?” Pyrrha spat. “What do you give me?” 

“Sorrow. Fear. _Pain_.” 

And Salem’s eyes darkened. “Cinder.” 

Pyrrha tried not to react but Salem already knew. She tossed her across the room. Pyrrha collided with the bed and groaned. 

“Hm. I should have known. That girl’s always been weak.” 

Pyrrha got up, wiping the blood from her split lip. It would take only a few seconds to cross the room. Tear her apart. She bared her teeth and lunged-

“Down.” 

Her body acted without her permission, suddenly weighing too much for her legs to carry. Pyrrha collapsed to the ground. 

Salem stood over her. “I knew you were a fighter. That’s why Ozpin chose you. And why I took it from him.” 

Pyrrha screamed at herself to get up but she couldn’t. Her limbs reacted to Salem's will, forcing her to stay bowed before her. 

“Maybe another dose will help you,” Salem mused. “We’re already moving further than anticipated. I’m proud of you.” 

“How dare you-?” Pyrrha spat. 

Salem didn’t answer. 

The Grimm reappeared, floating over to its master. Salem stroked its top, talking away to herself as though she wasn't there “Ozpin has tried his best and it wasn’t enough. Now he shall suffer for it." 

“You-!” 

But this dose was stronger than the last. Pyrrha hit the stone floor, body shaking. 

Her shudders became violent, slammed her shoulder off a nearby bed but she didn't feel it. She didn't feel anything at all.

* * *

“-is stupid, Cinder. We shouldn’t be here.” 

“She won’t notice. It’s fine.” 

“Is it? You’ve grown too fond of her, we should-” 

“Excuse me? You think I care for her?” 

“What else am I supposed to think?!" 

Pyrrha hated coming out of her drugged haze but this time was much worse. Like cobwebs around her mind, she shook them off. But they clung. And she had to tear and tear them free. 

Emerald stood on one side of her bed, glaring at Cinder. Cinder glared back. 

“Whatever you want. She’s one of us now. You know that.” 

“She is _not_. She can’t be one of us. Not when she was _his_.” 

“Things change. And so do-” 

Her head ached and Pyrrha groaned. They fell quiet, now noticing that she'd awoken. 

Neither of them said anything as she sat up, pressing a hand to her temple. Her head hurt. Just like her wrist but that pain was different. She dared peek a glance to stare at the darkened skin. How she wished she hadn't. 

The limb no longer looked like hers. 

Her arm had once been that of a champion—strong and powerful, her fingertips hardened from use. But now… she couldn't see any remains of her former self. It was a monster's arm. The skin darkened and covered in bone. 

“I hear you tried to attack Salem,” Emerald said coolly. “Brave. But idiotic.” 

“I was angry.” 

“She can control Grimm,” Cinder said. “You didn’t stand a chance.” 

“I’m not-” 

But that wasn’t true anymore. She couldn’t pretend the black and bone on her arm wasn’t there anymore. The craving for darkness, the way her mind didn’t seem her own anymore. And the way she bowed to Salem against her will. 

“... I…” 

They weren’t sympathetic and she didn't want it anyway. 

She wouldn't be pitied. She may not have her free will anymore but she had her pride. And she would not stand in shame. 

“She could have killed you. If you weren’t her most favourite plaything, she would have.” 

“Why? Why do this to me?” 

Cinder and Emerald exchanged looks. 

“What?” 

“It isn’t… nice.” 

“Oh. Well, that’s a surprise.” 

“I’m serious. She’s turning you into a Grimm so she can control you. You will be her greatest weapon.” 

Pyrrha should have known—probably did know—but hearing it out loud was like a slap in her face. She tried to ignore it, pretend that everything would be okay. She’d lied to try to protect herself. 

“I won’t let her.” 

“You don’t have a choice.” 

Pyrrha turned, lips slipping into a snarl. “Say that again, I dare you.” 

Cinder stepped back, one eye widening. Not fear—Cinder would never be afraid of her—but shock. 

And Pyrrha saw herself reflected back on Cinder's iris. 

She hardly looked human. A beast, hair wild and eyes glowing red. The grimm had spread up her arm and up across her face, bleeding black into her veins. 

“Oh sweet Gods,” Pyrrha breathed. 

Cinder recovered her composure. She nodded. “You see? There’s no point in fighting it.” 

Maybe it was time to give up. But rage had simmered in her heart and it burned, wanting to consume and take. 

“Let’s go, Emerald,” Cinder said coolly. “You’re right. We shouldn’t be here.” 

Emerald nodded. 

Pyrrha didn’t bother trying to stop them from going because what was the point? They didn’t care about her. She didn’t care about them. Didn't she? She didn't. She couldn't. No- 

And yet anger built. Like a fire in her veins, flooding every inch of her body. 

Hurt. Maim. _Kill._

Pyrrha leapt off the bed and roared. One step. Another. And then she was across the room. 

A jagged hand seized Emerald and _tore_. 

Sharp scream, a sickening thud. Pyrrha saw red. Sweet, delicious fear, pain, sorrow flooded into her system and she moaned at the taste. More. She needed more. 

“Pyrrha!” Cinder screamed. "Stop!" 

Pyrrha didn’t hear her. She dropped Emerald's lifeless body and turned on her, jaws widening into a bite. She'd had a taste of Cinder. Now she'd make a meal of her. 

But Cinder didn’t break like Emerald. 

For Cinder wasn’t human like Emerald. 

Instead, a darkened hand pried her fingers free and twisted. 

Pyrrha screeched. Cinder wrenched her arm out of her socket in one smooth movement. And though her arm burned with pain, she'd never felt more alive. 

“I’ll kill you,” Pyrrha spat. “I’ll kill everyone.” 

Cinder’s eye looked like an inferno. Once a mere flame, risen to climax in a bath of emotion. 

“I don’t doubt that.” 

And why did the disappointment in her voice hurt the most? 

Cinder threw her across the room, slamming her head into the windowsill. Blood filled her mouth. 

Her Grimm arm whipped around, the scent of leaves filling the air. Pyrrha might be Grimm now but she stood now chance against the ancient power Cinder had stolen right from her grasp. 

“The Fall Maiden…” Pyrrha breathed. 

The red faded. 

Pyrrha blinked. Once and then again. Oh no. Oh fuck- oh, oh no, oh no, _oh no._

Emerald lay crumpled by the door, the ground soaked red. The mint green of her hair stood out starkly against the blood. 

“Emerald-” 

“Don’t.” 

One word from Cinder and Pyrrha fell silent. 

Cinder closed her eye and when she opened it, she’d returned to normal. 

Yet she wasn't the same as before. A hard shield entered her eye and Pyrrha wished it didn't. But she deserved it. She'd done this to her. 

Cinder crouched by Emerald’s body and reached for her but Pyrrha already knew the truth. If Emerald lived, she’d have felt the pulse of pain, the fear, the twist as she fought to survive. 

She'd killed her. 

“You’re a monster," Cinder breathed, not even looking at her. 

“Makes two of us.” 

Why did she say that? Why did she push? Pyrrha wanted her to be mad. She wanted to feel pain. She wanted Cinder to hurt her. 

But Cinder lifted Emerald and turned around, not sparing her a last look. “Maybe so. But I… I never thought she’d break you.” 

And she left. Disappeared into the shadows of the castle. And Pyrrha let her. 

Pyrrha stared at her hands, seeing the blood coated across her fingertips. Emerald's blood. A killer. A murderer. A Grimm. 

_“I’m so proud of you,” Salem's voice whisperer. “You did it.”_

“I didn’t want to.” 

_“Did you not?”_

“No.” 

_“Are you sure?”_

Pyrrha wasn’t. All she wanted to do was cry. 

She’d killed Emerald. 

She tried to kill Cinder. 

What had they made her into? What sort of monster? 

Pyrrha stumbled to her feet and ran to the window. The glass dirty and thick but she saw herself. She'd seen but she hadn't believed. 

A monster, just liked Cinder said. 

“I’m so sorry.” 

_“You aren’t.”_

“I’m sorry.” 

_“Don’t lie.”_

“I want this to stop.” 

_“It won’t.”_

Pyrrha sank to the ground and pulled her legs in on herself. Why her? Why out of everyone? She didn’t want it. She just wanted to be normal. 

And she was far from it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this is the second last chapter of this fic 👀 hope you enjoy, buckle in!

At some point, she’d fallen asleep. 

She did that a lot. 

There wasn't much else to do besides try and recover from whatever Salem did to her. The transformation drained so much of her energy and she didn't eat or drink. She'd fed on Cinder. But obviously, that wasn't an option anymore. 

When she woke up this time, the room was different. It wasn’t the same cold room with the darkened windows and singular bed but warm and cushy, high ceilings stretching further than she could see. What? 

Pyrrha sat up, muscles groaning. Tension spread through her shoulders. Ever muscle coiled in expectation of an attack or something. Yet the air was quiet. And nothing moved. 

“Salem?” she called, though she didn’t expect an answer. 

The door wasn’t locked so she slipped out. And gasped. She hadn’t seen this section of the building but it was a lot different from where she’d first been held. 

Instead of dark hallways, torches burned in brackets along the wall. Paintings of ancient scenes and old creatures hung between them. Beautiful. But mysterious. 

Salem didn’t have a lot of people around. So why would she care for the decor? 

Someone had cleaned her hands when she slept. She turned them over, examining the skin. Her left, darkened with Grimm skin and flecked with bone fragments, fingers ending in long nails—her other hand being completely human. 

And yet she’d still torn Emerald apart. 

Pyrrha never thought herself a killer. She hadn’t meant it. She’d just been angry and things got out of hand. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. 

Everything shifted until it spun out of control. 

Emerald hadn’t deserved it. 

Nor did Cinder, except Cinder survived. 

She hadn't been punished. Long ago, when she'd been herself, a kill meant she'd saved an innocent from a Grimm. Now? Just another stepping stone in Salem's warped game. 

Pyrrha wandered down the corridor, wondering why Salem let her roam free like this. Maybe now she could control her and didn’t have to worry about her running away. Or maybe she knew that Pyrrha could never return to her old life. She wasn’t the same person. 

She tried not to think about what her friends would think of her. Nora. Ren. Ruby. Weiss. Blake. Yang. _Jaune_. She'd let them down. She'd disgust them. 

Her vision blurred with tears and she tried not to let them fall. Pride. She still had her pride. 

“Ah, you must be Pyrrha,” a sly voice said. A man stood at the other end of the corridor, a wicked grin appearing on his lips. He didn’t look like a nice person—not when he leered at her like that. “I have heard so much about you!” 

Pyrrha stopped in her tracks. 

“I’m Tyrian,” he offered. “Would you like to follow me?” 

“No?" 

“Well. Ah, phrasing. Follow me. Salem wants to see you.” 

And how could Pyrrha say no? 

She wouldn’t be her puppet, she wouldn’t let her control her, but Pyrrha knew she needed answers before things got too far. To ease her mind, that ending it would be the right choice. 

She nodded. 

And Tyrian turned. He walked with an odd skip in his step. Maybe he enjoyed being here. She couldn't relate. 

The corridor opened into a massive throne room, candles flickering, and the air humming with energy. The scene reminded her of one of Jaune's comics. Where the hero entered to finally confront the villain. 

But what could she do if the villain was herself? 

“And she emerges.” 

Salem sat on the massive throne, gazing down at them. She smiled wide when she saw her. One might think she held love in her gaze but Pyrrha knew it was sick and twisted. She never wanted to see it again. 

She wasn’t alone in the room. 

Cinder stood before her, arms crossed and her back to her. Thankfully. 

Pyrrha didn’t think she could look her in the eye. 

“How are you feeling?” Salem asked. “The first is always the hardest. But it gets easier.” 

Killing. Killing Grimm was one thing but _people?_ Pyrrha felt sick to her stomach. 

This wasn't her. It couldn't be. 

Yet her hands killed Emerald. Her anger had gotten the best of her. She'd killed her. Not Salem. Not Cinder. 

But her. 

Pyrrha didn't answer. 

"It proves you're growing and getting better. Very soon you'll be ready." 

Ready for what? She wanted to ask but also she didn’t want to know. 

"Your skills will be rusty after inactivity but a little round of sparring will help you loosen up." Salem nodded to herself as if she'd had the best idea in the world. "Cinder?" 

Cinder looked up at her, and Pyrrha couldn't see her face from here. But her shoulders tensed. "Is that advisable?" 

Pyrrha would never have described her as cold because Cinder was most certainly fire—but her tone was ice. Disconnected. Sad. 

"Of course," Salem nodded. 

Pyrrha raised her head to stare at her. She should try to run her now. Attack with all she had. Salem said she was strong. Let's test how strong, shall we? 

Except she couldn't. 

Pyrrha swallowed. Her own body, her own mind betrayed her. And would not lift a finger against her. Did she bow to Salem now? How weak she'd become. Pyrrha tensed her muscles but did nothing. Maybe later. Hopefully later. If she ever got the chance. 

Cinder turned to her, and her expression was unseeing. Like she looked right through her. 

"Let's go." 

Pyrrha nodded. She couldn't say no. 

Cinder turned and walked away and Pyrrha jogged after her. Anything to be out of that room. Even if it meant going after Cinder—after everything she’d done. Salem's eyes burned holes into her back. A warning for any actions to come. 

As Pyrrha emerged out into the air, she realised this was the first time she'd been outside in months. 

The air filled her lungs and she breathed in freshness. "Wow." She'd forgotten what it was like to feel the wind rushing through her hair or the gentle grass underfoot. The grass had darkened with the same nature of the land around them but it was still grass. She’d take it. 

Cinder kept walking around the side of the castle. They came to a small courtyard with a sandy floor and a couple of training dummies. Her mind flashed back to Beacon. She'd often sparred in places like this, when she'd been a different person at a very different time. 

"What are we doing?" Pyrrha asked. 

"She told us to train. So we'll train." 

Why did she care so much about what CInder thought? They weren't friends. Pyrrha occasionally devoured her pain but that didn't make them friends. 

And she killed her _actual_ friend. 

Did they have best friends in a world so twisted? Either way, Emerald had been special to her and Pyrrha tore her away. Like a beast. Like a monster. Like a Grimm. 

Cinder's nails jerked across her face. Not hard enough to tear. Pyrrha new skin wouldn’t tear anyway. Not anymore. 

"Pay attention." 

Pyrrha winced. "Why? I don't want to do this." 

Train in the new body Salem gave her. It wasn't hers. Her existence was a curse. 

"Because you want to live," Cinder replied matter of factly. 

Pyrrha said nothing. 

"You _do- w_ ant to live," Cinder said sharply. "Pyrrha Nikos, don't you dare say differently." 

Pyrrha sighed. "Everything is wrong now. Maybe I do. Maybe I don't. It's complicated." 

And the fire in Cinder's eye glowed red hot. 

Flames burned and she stared, breath catching in her throat. And then Pyrrha hit the ground, Cinder straddling her hips with her nails digging into her wrists. 

"Don't mess around, Pyrrha," Cinder hissed. 

"I'm not!" 

She tried to throw her off but a stronger force held her down. A sharp wind whistled through her hair. _Is she using her Maiden powers?_

"The world is shit, _I know._ But you can't give up. You have to fight. You have to have to _try."_

Fight against Salem? Cinder had been with her longer than Pyrrha had—she had to know that was pointless. Both of them with Grimm as part of their arms, consuming them whole until they could only serve her. 

Cinder understood her. And yet? 

"Why do you care?" Pyrrha demanded. "Wouldn't it be better if I just faded away?" 

Left her alone. Didn't cause her pain anymore. 

Cinder's mouth opened and then closed. The flame shrunk. 

Pyrrha took the chance to burst free, throwing her across the courtyard. Her muscles screamed but the pain let her breathe again. 

CInder rolled and landed neatly. She stood up, dusting herself off before turning to look at her. Her expression was sad, and she shrugged. 

"You ease my suffering," Cinder said. "And make life bearable." 

And then she turned and walked away, leaving a stunned Pyrrha watching her. 

She didn't understand. She didn't know. Her heart twisted in her chest. Pyrrha looked out across the land. Darkness clouded the sky even though she knew it was day. Countless Grimm roamed wild and free. 

Could she run? Could she fight? 

Would she? 

Pyrrha stared down at her hand again. Her human one. 

She had to fight. 

She refused to let Salem control her. 

Even if it meant the end for her, she'd fight.

* * *

After she killed Emerald, everything shifted. No longer did she reside in her small room away from everyone else but she lived in one of the guest rooms. Salem acted like she was an esteemed guest, much to the amusement of the others. 

Others. 

Cinder and her friends weren't the only people she'd corrupted. 

She had a small group of loyal humans and faunus that popped in and out occasionally when they weren’t out on missions. They didn't talk to her very much but she saw them looking curiously. She didn’t like the way they looked at her. Like she was an experiment they got to watch develop. Because that was exactly what she was. 

Pyrrha sat at the end of the dining table at dinner, not eating because she never felt hungry. But to be there. A presence, for Salem requested her there. 

And again, she couldn’t say no. 

"We're closing in on the next relic," a man named Hazel reported through the Grimm at Salem's side. "It won't be long." 

Not that she ever knew what they were talking about. No one cared to explain it to her. 

As they discussed their evil plans, Pyrrha found herself glancing at the two empty seats next to Mercury. He ate quietly too. He rarely spoke, except when asked a question. And the two who should have sat next to him never appeared. 

She didn't know where Cinder was. 

She'd been avoiding her lately—not that Pyrrha blamed her. 

The only time she showed up was for their training sessions, ones that Salem insisted on. Cinder might be strong but after time passed, Pyrrha began to out pass her. Salem hadn’t lied. She was growing. She was becoming stronger. 

Her stomach flipped. Pyrrha frowned. Her gut urged her to leave and go search for something. And she had a feeling she knew what it was. She stood up. 

"Excuse me." 

All eyes flicked to her and Pyrrha lifted her chin. Not a puppet. Not afraid. Not hers. _Try._

Salem blinked once but didn't say anything as she returned to whatever she'd been doing beforehand. 

Pyrrha left the room before anyone could stop her. 

The corridors outside were quiet, the only other creatures here were Grimm. They roamed the corridors in a similar fashion to her. She often wondered what they thought—if they could think at all. She could think and she was part Grimm, right? Maybe they’d underestimated their greatest enemy. 

Pyrrha followed the tugging sensation, inhaling sharply when she realised what it was. 

Cinder lay on her bed, eye closed as darkness rolled off her once again. 

Usually Emerald had been the one to fetch her when Cinder entered her bouts of pain. She hadn't liked doing it but understood it helped her. And Emerald would have done anything for Cinder. 

Pyrrha lingered in the doorway, unsure if she should enter. A new boundary had been set. She didn’t want to cross it. 

But Cinder cried out and Pyrrha felt a sick wave of pleasure wash down her spine. It sank deep into her stomach. 

One foot in front of the other. 

Cinder looked at her and the pain _sharpened._

Sweet and delicious. 

Pyrrha had forgotten how delightful her sorrow tasted. "You didn't find me.” Her voice was hoarse, and soft. 

Cinder inhaled. For a second, it looked like she might ignore her. But then- "I knew you'd come." 

_Eventually. She_ hadn't come in the past weeks. Had she been waiting for her? Had she endured alone? 

Pyrrha sank to her knees next to her and her gaze reddened. Different from the last time. Hungry. A feast before her eyes. 

Cinder shifted to her side. "You knew." 

"I can feel it." Pyrrha took her hand and inhaled. Like a breath of fresh air, she drank everything from her. 

Long ago, when she’d been a different person, Cinder pushed her hand away. But this time, she held it tighter, dragging Pyrrha closer. Pyrrha almost fell. Cinder caught her, her human hand grasping her face. 

And Cinder kissed her. 

Pyrrha's eyes flew open. 

Unlike Jaune, who froze in shock with their lips met, Cinder demanded. Her tongue swept in against hers and it _wanted._

And Pyrrha gave it to her. 

She rose and shoved her back on the bed. Nails dragged along her skin. Sweet pain. Fresh sorrow. _Twisting_. But fire burning between them both. 

Kissing Cinder felt like breathing again. 

Pyrrha leaned closer, growling in the back of her throat. She tugged at Cinder’s low lip and bit. The kiss deepened. She dove deeper, unable to get enough of her. Eventually they had to split apart for air. 

Cinder lay back on the bed, eye fluttering closed. She fell asleep before Pyrrha had the chance to register what just happened. 

“Cinder?” 

Cinder didn’t stir. Pyrrha didn’t feel any sadness or pain from her anymore. She was at peace, sleeping away the darkness. 

Pyrrha stumbled to her feet. And left the room.

* * *

Oh gods, she kissed Cinder. 

Now free to roam the corridors of Salem's castle, she did just that, freaking out. 

She kissed Cinder. 

Technically, Cinder kissed her but Pyrrha kissed back and liked it. 

She didn't know what to do now. That was a line she'd never known was there until she crossed it. Now what? The nature of their relationship was already twisted and messed up—adding feelings only made it that much worse. 

She found herself in the courtyard where they trained. Maybe blowing off steam would help. 

Salem let her go outside where if she truly tried, she could run. Except they knew she wouldn’t. Not after everything that happened. 

Her old life wasn’t waiting for her anymore. 

Pyrrha punched. The dummy shuddered with each impact of her fist. Again. And again. Sweat started to build across her forehead. Why did she have to live like this? Why did they have to do this to her? She stared at the training dummy. Her Grimm hand had ripped it in half without a second thought. For rage and despair, it unleashed its power. 

“Why me?” she asked aloud. 

Again, did it have to be her? Had Cinder singled her out or was it misfortune that she’d gone to confront her on the tower? If she hadn’t listened to Ozpin and others, might she have avoided this? 

Cinder. Cinder. 

A burning sensation flashed across her chest and Pyrrha groaned. 

“Someone is in a bad mood,” said a familiar voice. 

Pyrrha didn’t want to turn around. 

Cinder walked up to join her. “What did that dummy do to you?” 

“What do you want?” 

Cinder had the audacity to look offended. “Since when did I need an excuse to seek you out?” 

“You’ve been avoiding me. For a month now. Except for earlier.” 

“Ah. Well.” Cinder sighed. “It’s complicated, Pyrrha. We’re complicated. Are you annoyed at me?” 

“No, I just-” What? What was she thinking? They weren’t friends. They weren’t allies. They were enemies and yet… Pyrrha couldn’t control her emotions, no matter how much she wanted to. 

“What?” 

“I don’t know. Okay?” Pyrrha turned and looked across the wasteland. In the distance, elephant-like Grimm crossed the plains, magnificent and beautiful—but also dark and dangerous. She begged them in her head to run, to get as far away from this cursed place as they could. And as if they heard her, they shifted course back towards the mountains. “I don’t want to do this anymore.” 

“Do what?” 

“Whatever Salem’s planning. Whatever game you’re playing. I’m finished.” 

And would she finish it? Pyrrha had to wonder if she could kill herself in this state. Or would the Grimm bound to Salem refuse her even that? 

Cinder’s eye widened ever so slightly. Most people wouldn’t have noticed but Pyrrha did. She noticed a lot of things about Cinder. Her small tells, the tiny jump in her jaw when someone disagreed with her, the lazy smirk when getting her way. But this was one she hadn’t seen in a long, long time. 

_Worry_. 

“Pyrrha-” 

“Don’t. Don’t try to justify this existence. I won’t be hers. I won’t be her puppet.” She vowed. She promised. By whatever means. If she had to die to stop her, she would. 

“And you don’t have to be. She might seem like she has control. Don’t-” 

“What does it matter to you?” Pyrrha interrupted. “All you want to do is _survive_. So why?” 

Cinder folded her arms. “Maybe I do care. Maybe I don’t want her to hurt you like she’s hurt me.” 

“I killed Emerald. How could you forgive me?” 

“I said maybe I cared. Not that I forgive you.” 

Maybe. Like she refused to acknowledge the truth. Cinder knew how caring for people ended. 

“So what? It’s not like I have a choice.” 

Cinder glanced at the ground. “You are strong. And you will survive. I believe it.” 

Pyrrha sighed. “What about Mercury? Do you care about him?” 

Cinder winced. “When working for Salem… it’s better not to care about anyone but yourself. I learned that a long time ago. And even so…” 

Mercury. Emerald. And now Pyrrha. 

Did Pyrrha care about her? She liked to lie to herself now. So maybe she did. Or maybe she didn’t. Either way, she understood. She understood how everything about them was fucked up and broken but maybe she liked it. 

“Would you like to spar?” Cinder turned to her, eyes glowing anew. 

The Grimm inside Pyrrha twisted and bared its teeth at the challenge. “You’re on.” 

Things weren't healed between them but Pyrrha still felt happier. She wouldn't lie that Cinder had become her anchor in her time of despair. She wouldn't lie that Cinder was the only person who could possibly understand what she was going through. 

Pyrrha’d already worked up a sweat and lunged. Her fighting style used to be precise and controlled but now half Grimm, she’d grown feral and wild. And it delighted her. 

Cinder liked long range with her whip Grimm arm. Which meant Pyrrha had to get in close to strike. 

Pyrrha blocked her Grimm arm and ducked the fire she threw at her. She tried to go low but Cinder anticipated. Pyrrha skidded across the ground, growling. 

Cinder stood tall across from her, a wicked grin on her face for she knew she couldn't touch her. 

Out of nowhere, a bird-like Grimm swooped down and attacked Cinder. 

"Hey, what the-?!" 

Cinder ducked away but it followed her. 

“Get away from her!” Pyrrha snapped in frustration. 

A sharp tugging sensation in her gut and the bird just soared away. Like it had never been there at all. 

“Whoa.” 

Cinder stared at her. “Oh no.” 

“What?” 

Cinder took a step back. 

“Cinder?” 

“It’s nothing.” 

“No, it isn’t. What’s wrong?” 

And that bright light from earlier was nowhere to be seen. Cinder’s expression darkened and clouded before she shut off entirely. They were back to how they’d been. And Pyrrha hated it. 

Pyrrha watched her go, entirely helpless to stop her. What had that been about?

* * *

“What?” 

The Grimm hovered over her, tentacles waving and she shooed it away to see Mercury standing in the doorway. It moved with her command and floated aside. Another dose but she’d much rather talk to another person and be drugged into transforming. 

Mercury shrugged. “You’ve been summoned.” 

“By Salem?” 

“Who else?” 

Of course. 

Pyrrha sighed and stepped away from the Grimm. It moved to follow her but stopped. 

“Good luck.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Mercury shrugged. “You need it.” 

He didn't stick around to explain his cryptic message. Whatever. She didn't have luck here. 

As she walked, her mind flashed to Cinder and the way her eye darkened yesterday. They'd been so close to fixing the bridge between them but then she'd set it aflame and walked away. 

She wondered what she'd have to do to repair the damages. Not that Cinder would forgive her. But maybe make things better. 

She looked up at the massive doors and cursed every part of this wretched place for making her suffer like this. She didn't deserve it. No one did. And yet things happened. 

“Ah. Pyrrha.” 

Pyrrha stepped into the throne room. 

Salem lazed back on her throne and smiled when she entered. Cinder stood at her right hand, arms crossed and head lowered. 

"You summoned me?" 

"Yes. Cinder has informed me of what happened yesterday and I am _very_ pleased." 

The kiss? 

Cinder raised her head and her eye met hers across the room. No, that didn't make any sense. Was it about their training session that ended so abruptly? But she didn't understand, what had been so special? 

Out of nowhere, a Beowolf burst into the room, hackles raised and jaws snarling. Pyrrha's eyes widened. 

“Tell it to leave you alone,” Salem said. 

“What?!” 

"Tell it to leave you alone." 

Her limbs snapped down to her sides, no doubt controlled by Salem. She couldn't move. Only look at the beast making its way across the room to her. 

"I don't understand!" 

"Make it leave you alone, Pyrrha." 

The Beowolf advanced, claws clicking against the throne room floor. She couldn't fight. She couldn't run. Only look as it came closer. 

"Pyrrha." 

Cinder hadn't said a word since she entered and now she only uttered one. Her name. 

Pyrrha focused on the Beowolf. Something tightened in her chest like a spring loaded to fire. 

“Leave me alone!” 

And just like that, it stopped and ran in the opposite direction. 

Cinder sucked in breath, expression worried but she quickly hid it. But Pyrrha didn't understand. She didn't get how she did that or what it meant. Yet both of the other women acted like it was the end of the world. 

To which Salem smiled about, naturally. 

“You’ve completed your transformation.” 

Her limbs relaxed and she gasped, finally able to move again. She glanced across at where the Beowolf lingered in the shadows. Watching. Not coming near. 

“Now with the ability to fully control Grimm, and the power of the Fall Maiden, it will be only too easy to claim the rest..” 

Cinder looked up at Salem. And then walked out to stand in front of her. 

“What?” Pyrrha asked. 

Salem’s grasp on her didn’t relax as she made her turn to face Cinder. 

“The final part to fully becoming you.” 

Cinder faced her down, expression blank. 

“You will kill Cinder Fall and inherit the power of the Fall Maiden.” 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the lateness of this chapter but we have finally arrived at our ending! I hope it satisfies you 🥰

“What?” 

Pyrrha couldn’t breathe. Not with Cinder looking at her like that, not with Salem squeezing her free will into her own mold, not with everything happening. Her thoughts blurred and she fought to keep herself. She was losing herself to Salem. And Salem’s eyes glowed red. 

“Cinder always was defected,” Salem sighed. “Her transformation never took. But you… oh, you are _magnificent.”_

Her arm burned hot. But it was her limb, it was fused to her body and she couldn't get away from it. Dark energy seeped through her body and she could do nothing to stop it. 

"Salem-!" 

The claws tightened around her mind. Pyrrha fell to her knees, body no longer her own as her vision hazed red. 

Cinder had stepped away from Salem’s throne and towards her. Her face was still. Simple. Accepting. Had she known all along? 

Nails scraped across the floor and Pyrrha growled. Her vision blurred before sharpening, fixing on the form in front of her. Prey. Hers for the kill. It would be only too easy. 

"Good…" Salem murmured. "Take it." 

Pyrrha roared in agreement and lunged. The prey hit the ground beneath her, head turned to the side to expose soft human flesh. How easy it would be to sink her teeth into it and tear it to shreds. 

She leaned forward, hand reaching to take it. She could sense the pulse of a human heart, the pressure of veins and arteries that once torn would seep into the ground and feed the world beneath them. Hot, burning, twisted. She moved for the kill. 

But something stopped her. 

Pyrrha’s clawed arm slammed into the ground next to her head. The marble shattered between her fingers. 

“Fight back,” her voice rasped against its own will. “Fight back, dammit...” 

Prey didn’t fight back. Prey fell to the powerful hunter because that was how nature worked. 

And yet against every instinct in her body, Pyrrha screamed. Like fire through her lungs it burned. But it burned _bright._

_"Fight back!"_

The prey’s eye glowed hot and suddenly, pain flared across her shoulder. Pyrrha hit the chandelier above them and collapsed in a shower of crystals. Her prey rose to its feet and faced her with a new determination. 

Pyrrha shook off the crystals and snarled. 

She wanted this? But why? 

She lunged once more but the prey sidestepped. And again. Their chase turned into a twisted dance but Pyrrha never gained. She roared in frustration. 

“Good, good,” Salem crooned from her throne, watching eagerly as they fought. "Prove yourself. You can defeat Cinder, Pyrrha. Take the Fall Maiden from her." 

Cinder? 

The red faded ever so slightly and Pyrrha saw her. Standing in front of her with determined but tired eyes, Cinder bled gently. Pyrrha's chest tightened. 

She saw green hair through her mind's eye and felt a body break in her hands. Not again. She swore not again. 

She wouldn't. 

She trembled. And lurched forward when she didn't even want to. The red around her eyes faded even more until she could see clearly. But maybe seeing clearly was worse. Because now she saw exactly what she would do to someone she cared about. 

Cinder aimed her human hand at her, pointing one finger at her accusingly. 

“Look at me, Pyrrhra Nikos,” she demanded. _“Look at me._ You didn’t want to be her puppet. You didn’t want it. So you’re going to _fight her._ You told me you would!”

She'd promised herself. But when it came to it, Pyrrha just wasn't strong enough. 

Salem held onto her will with an iron fist, pushing her to kill and take because she wanted it. Pyrrha couldn't fight that. She couldn't fight her. She was useless. She'd failed herself. 

“Will she now?” Amusement coated her tone. Salem didn't care for what they tried. She could control them both. She had both their Grimm arms in her grasp and when she held, they could not escape. 

Cinder groaned, her mortal arm grabbing her shoulder. From her sleeve, a long twisted dark limb emerged. Where her fingers ought to have been were sharp jagged spikes. 

“No.” 

Cinder jerked towards her, Grimm arm lashing out with deadly claws. But her eye widened and Pyrrha knew she didn't do it willingly. 

“No!” 

But pain, but the sharp tension in her shoulder, Pyrrha was no longer in control. She could only watch as her body lurched towards Cinder. 

Their bodies moved with murderous intent but Pyrrha screamed internally. Her muscles tensed. Her stomach rolled. Her heart clenched. 

She couldn’t kill her. 

No. 

_No_. 

“Salem!” she screeched. “Salem!” 

Salem didn’t say anything but felt her in her mind. Her claws held tight, threatening to choke her until she never saw again. She was hers. The Grimm belonged to her. 

Pyrrha tried to close her eyes. Maybe she'd wake up and be back in Beacon where this was nothing but a twisted dream. She'd never have lost herself, she'd never have killed, she'd be whole. 

But she knew that could never happen. 

The world wasn't kind. It was cruel, and horrible and would make monsters of them all. 

And yet, in the darkness, she found light. 

A bright, burning light that when the worst came, shone brighter than ever. 

“You’re stronger than this,” Cinder panted. “I’m broken but _you-_ you are much more than what she made you.” 

Pyrrha wanted to believe her. Pyrrha wanted to think she could fight Salem. 

But no one, not even Cinder, could fight back against her. 

Pyrrha collided with Cinder, teeth snapping but missing each attack. Cinder swung back. They rolled together but each strike shifted, angled to graze instead of puncture. 

Both trying to resist while being forced to fight. 

"I can't-"' she breathed. 

Her claws broke skin and Cinder screamed. 

How many times had Pyrrha listened to her scream? How many times had it been music to her ears? The Grimm fed off sorrow and pain. So why now did she feel sick to her stomach? 

Cinder tilted her head back, exposing the smooth column of her throat. "Fight back, Pyrrha, don't let her take you." 

The fight had left Cinder"s body as she lay beneath her, oozing dark blood onto the marble floor. Even bruised and battered, she still looked beautiful. 

Pyrrha's jaw jumped in eagerness to tear her throat out. She fought to keep her mouth closed but she leaned closer and closer, until she ghosted over skin. 

_Finish it,_ Salem demanded. 

Cinder shuddered in her grasp and a hand grabbed her wrist. "Pyrrha-" 

Pyrrha closed her eyes and saw red. Red burned behind her eyelids but it wasn't like blood. No, it was pure heat, flames licking their way through the haze. 

No. 

She wasn’t going to be Salem’s. She promised. She swore. 

A human hand touched her face, a thumb brushing away the rest she didn't even knew fell. 

“Pyrrha...-" _was she crying?_ "-fight back..." 

Something in her mind snapped and Pyrrha _screamed_. 

The flames exploded within her and seared through every inch of her body. Every cell burned and she _screamed_. 

Oh, how badly it hurt but it hurt so good. She'd never been more free in her life. Each part of her would be reborn anew and rise from the ashes of her old self. The hold on her burned away because she made it. 

Her eyes opened to the air humming around her. 

“What are you doing?” Salem asked, standing up. 

But Salem's claws weren’t in her anymore, weren’t wrapped around her throat to choke her. 

Was she free? 

Pyrrha got to her feet, chest rising and falling as she stared her down. 

Cinder’s eye glowed beneath her. Her Grimm arm hung by her side, dripping black oil onto the throne room floor. Wounded, fighting, but still here. Still savable. And yet... she smiled. 

“How did you do that?” Salem snarled. “How did you-” 

“I am Pyrrha Nikos,” she breathed, straightening her back. A tugging sensation in her gut as she called for help. “You will not control me.” 

Salem seemed to grow in size, eyes blazing red with rage as she swept down. “You overestimate yourself. You have no idea who you challenge.” 

But Pyrrha felt lighter than she had since she came to Salem’s castle. She didn't scare her anymore. 

Cinder’s smile was weak but there. Believing. But ready to give up. 

Pyrrha stood tall against Salem, eyeballing her. Her Grimm arm flexed, claws clicking against each other. How long had Salem subjected her to this existence? Had she forced her to endure the transformation from human into something that never should have been created? 

Too long. 

Salem swept towards her, the sharp glow of her eyes only brightening. Cinder often mentioned how no one was strong enough to take down Salem. How they could only try to survive in the world of her making. Pyrrha didn't believe her anymore. 

Her gut tightened. It was close. 

“A waste of time,” Salem spat. “A waste of resources. You are no longer useful to me.” 

Pyrrha tilted her head and grinned. 

The wall behind her exploded as a herd of Goliath exploded through the wall. Tugged by Pyrrha's will, they attacked Salem. 

Salem spun but didn’t have time to react before they slammed into her. 

The Grimm were no longer hers. Pyrrha controlled them now. And so they would do her bidding. 

Salem shrieked in rage but she took the chance. 

“Cinder-” 

Cinder collapsed to her knees, screaming. A wave of pain rolled through her, like a wicked shiver down her spine. Darkness bled from her arm. It only grew. 

“Cut it off-” she screamed. “Pyrrha, please! Cut it off!” 

She could only mean one thing. 

“I-” 

“Pyrrha-” 

The blaze in her eye flickered. Every emotion in her eye dimmed as Salem's hold wrapped tighter around her. She'd lost Pyrrha. She wouldn't want to lose her too. 

The Goliath would only distract Salem. They didn’t have much time. 

"Stay still," Pyrrha murmured. 

For haste, she could still be gentle. She straddled her, shifting the torn shoulder of her dress to find skin. Where the pale flesh bled into ashened darkness was where she's need to sever. How? Well, it wouldn't be kind. 

She offered Cinder wrist to bite, for her human teeth would not break Grimm skin. 

Pyrrha bit into her upper arm, just above where her Grimm self was. And _tore_. 

Cinder bit into her wrist and screamed. 

Her pain flooded her again and Pyrrha tried to soothe it. 

But she had to do this. It was messy and might kill her but they couldn't let Salem keep hold on her. That itself was a death sentence. 

The Grimm arm flopped uselessly on the ground before disintegrating into smoke. Tears flowed from her eye. But it glowed brightly. 

“Pyrrha!” Salem screeched. 

A Goliath hit the wall next to them, blaring it's trumpet before disintegrating into ash. 

“We have to go.” Pyrrha pulled her to her feet. 

Cinder stumbled after her. They ran to the hole in the castle wall and outside. 

Salem stared at her, eyes wide with rage. Yet she had half the herd left to get through before she could reach them. Pyrrha sensed the anger in her twisted heart. The Grimm couldn't kill her but they could injure her. 

“Fuck you,” Pyrrha snarled and thrust forward. 

The remaining Goliath moved on her command. Like a wave of darkness they tried to drown her. But sadly Salem could swim. They needed to leave now. 

“Cinder?” 

“Still here,” Cinder panted. 

But her arm weeped blood. The wound gaped, a mess of flesh and bone. She tried to hold it back but the pressure was too much. 

Would she bleed to death after everything that happened? 

Pyrrha stumbled over the rubble to her.

Behind them, Pyrrha felt the another Goliath die—if such a word could be used for Grimm. 

Salem would be after them soon. 

So they needed to run. 

“Don’t look back,” Cinder said. “Don’t look back.” 

So Pyrrha turned back around and kept running. 

She hadn’t done all that to die at Salem’s hands. She was free. She may be different from before but she no longer belonged to Salem. 

“ _Run_.” 

And run they did. 

They ran for hours and hours, not looking back once. They passed Grimm on their way but none bothered them once Pyrrha turned them away. 

A new found power that she hadn't realised. To what extent would these creatures obey her? And how did Salem play into this? Questions for another day when she didn't have to worry for her life. 

She didn't know where they ran to or what lay in that direction but just _away_. Anything to leave that damned castle behind. 

And when Cinder’s aura gave out and Pyrrha could no longer feel her legs, they collapsed against a cropping of rocks, knowing that they would make it no further. 

Pyrrha leaned her head back against the cold stone and listened. Bare the heave of their breaths, she could hear nothing. Silence. Echoing out across the cursed plains of Salem's territory. She didn't chase them—or she wasn't in range yet. 

Pyrrha looked to Cinder in worry. She thought she might have collapsed from their run but not yet. She... survived. 

“Your arm-” 

Cinder had stopped bleeding. 

“I’m still a Maiden,” she shrugged. “But… an exhausted Maiden.” 

Both of them needed to rest. 

Pyrrha glanced back through the plains and the hills and saw nothing behind them. No Grimm gave chase. No henchmen. Nothing yet. 

“What did you do?” Cinder asked. "Back there. You... you were powerful." 

The light sensation that danced through her veins. 

“I… I broke free.” 

Cinder nodded. “And now I too… am no longer under her.” Without her Grimm arm, she had her free will. They both were free. 

“What now?” 

Where could they go? 

Pyrrha didn’t know. Would the world outside welcome them back? Not in this state. 

Pyrrha knew she looked beastly. With half her body morphed into a Grimm, she'd become a shell of her former self. No one would even recognise her. 

“Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.” 

They’d have to. For they’d burned any chance with Salem so they turned to the light. Away from the dark, away from the pain, away from everything they'd endured at her hands. Maybe Ozpin would find a place for a Grimm in his plans. 

Cinder lay back against the rocks, closing her eyes with a sigh. 

Pyrrha rose and turned back to the faint outline of the castle in the distance. She tested her power, feeling out the Grimm that roamed between them. No one chased them yet. They had time. They could rest. 

Pyrrha sat down next to her. The ground wasn't comfortable but at least they were together. 

"Thank you." 

"For what?" 

Pyrrha's mind flashed back to the fight. "For pushing me to break free." 

Cinder shrugged carelessly. "You did it first." 

"I did?" 

Cinder nodded. 

"Oh. I don't really remember that." Salem got into her head so easily. 

"Then I shall claim all the credit." 

A weak attempt at humour but an attempt nonetheless. 

Cinder rested her head on her shoulder. She hugged her stump close to her body. 

And Pyrrha shifted, extending an arm around her shoulders. When Cinder didn't pull away, she took it as acceptance. A comfort in these dark times. 

Pain thrummed through her like energy, pulsating with each beat of her heart—and so Pyrrha drank it all. It wasn't the same as when Cinder had her Grimm arm but it eased her. 

"Rest easy," Pyrrha murmured, staring out at the land before them. 

Somewhere in the distance, where the shadows didn't reach, was a chance. A chance to return and find her old friends. She didn't know what they'd think of her new appearance. But a girl could hope. 

Even if they didn't accept her, she knew Cinder would. Because throughout everything, they'd been there for each other. They understood each other. 

Cinder's eye closed and she relaxed against her. Pyrrha couldn't think of any time Cinder had been relaxed with Salem. 

So she lifted her hand and threaded her fingers through hers, right over her stump. And Cinder squeezed. 

They didn't need to say anything—probably couldn't. But actions spoke louder than words. They were connected now. Pyrrha closed her own eyes and the rest that followed was filled with dreams of a better future. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a blast. Thank you so much for reading, I really love Pompeii—even if they are such a twisted ship. But maybe that's what I like about them. I hope you liked it, and thanks again! 💜💜

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Did you enjoy it? If so, consider leaving me a comment to make my day 🥰


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